


honey and home

by Meridas



Series: domestic days [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Other, Prompt Fill, rainy day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 11:26:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17466698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meridas/pseuds/Meridas
Summary: Molly has a bad day. Caleb welcomes him home.





	honey and home

Molly stands there and stares at his keys. The keys do nothing—they don't stare judgmentally back, which he appreciates, but neither do they hop back into his hand or magically let him into his building.

He picks them up, moving slowly because what's the point of hurrying when he's already soaked to the bone? When he already feels flat and drained from the worst day at work he's had in ages, why hurry to scoop his keys out of a puddle? They're already soaked and gritty and his fingers can't get any more freezing.

It takes him three tries to get the right key into the lock, but at least he doesn't drop them again. He pushes open the door and trudges up the stairs to the apartment he shares with Caleb. He's leaving a trail of water on the ground.

The apartment door opens before his shaking hands can struggle too much with that lock. He looks up to find Caleb there, and he looks so soft and cozy in an old sweatshirt and his socked feet that Molly could cry. The apartment smells warm and nice, like Molly's candles and maybe toast.

“Come inside, _schatz_ ,” Caleb says, holding out a towel.

Molly takes it gratefully, stepping in and letting Caleb shut the door behind him. The towel is warm and still smells like the dryer. Molly buries his whole face in it and just stands like that for a while.

After a moment, the shivering is too much and he resurfaces from the towel. Caleb reaches out and plucks at his coat sleeve. “Get out of those clothes, Molly,” he says gently. “There are pajamas in the bathroom for you, they should still be warm.”

“I love you,” Molly says helplessly. Caleb smiles at him and leans in to kiss his cheek.

“Fuck, you're freezing,” he mutters. “Go on, go, leave your shoes here.”

Molly does as he's told, rubbing the towel over his hair as he goes. To his delight, the pajamas in question are _Caleb's_ : soft flannel pants that are too long for Molly and puddle around his feet, plus an old, soft shirt that smells like sleep and old paper and Caleb's cologne. There are also socks that Molly got from Jester for his birthday, bright pink and fuzzy with smiling cupcakes on them. Molly dries himself off thoroughly, and puts on the clothes Caleb left for him as quickly as he can, his mood already lifting.

He comes out of the bathroom and wanders back to the kitchen. Caleb is stirring something in Molly's favorite mug, a big dark blue thing that's had the handle glued back on more than once and glimmers with gold star charts and constellations. He's let Frumpkin up on the counter again, sniffing at his hand while he stirs. Molly  scritches the cat under his chin, and gets a rusty purr for his efforts.

Caleb glances up and smiles at him. “Better?” He holds out the mug and gives Molly another small kiss as he accepts it. “You look very cute, by the way.”

Molly smiles and buries his face in the mug. Peppermint steam wafts into his face, honey-sweetened and instantly soothing. “Much better,” he mumbles. He wraps his cold hands around the mug, but shimmies his tail free and loops it around Caleb's waist. “Thank you, Caleb.”

Caleb scoops Frumpkin off the counter and cuddles him up. He pats Molly's tail and leads him over to the sofa. “Even your tail is cold,” he notes in surprise. He tugs Molly down next to him and reaches for the nearest blanket.

“It's awful outside,” Molly agrees. He leans into Caleb's open arms, settling against his chest and Caleb drapes the blanket over both of them. He takes a sip of his tea and hums happily. “So much better in here.”

Caleb's hand rubs soothingly up and down his arm. “Did something happen today?” he asks gently.

Molly shakes his head. “I mean… no one thing. It was just a shitty day and I miss Yasha and I just wanted to be home with you all day long. That's all.”

He feels a kiss pressed to the top of his head, and he can't help but smile. “You're home now,” Caleb says, his voice rumbling softly in his chest under Molly's body. He takes another drink of his tea, then leans his head carefully against Caleb's shoulder.

“Yeah,” he murmurs. Caleb's hand comes up to stroke through his hair, gently fluffing up the damp curls. “‘m home.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to the widomauk discord for rainy day prompts and humoring my soft ficlets <3


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